Healthy News Daily: ADHD

Childhood ADHD may lead to troubles in adulthood

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Nearly a third of people diagnosed as children with attention deficit  hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) still have the condition in adulthood, according  to a U.S. study of thousands.<br />
The researchers, whose findings appeared  in Pediatrics, also found that these people were more likely to develop other  mental disorders, such as anxiety or depression, and commit suicide.  <br />
Lead by William Barbaresi from Boston Children's Hospital, they found  that about 29 percent of participants in the study who were diagnosed with ADHD  as children ended up carrying that diagnosis over into their late twenties.  <br />
"They still clearly had symptoms that continued to be consistent with  that diagnosis," said Barbaresi. "But that in itself has been an area of  difficulty and controversy." <br />
ADHD, the most common neuro-developmental  condition, affects between 3 percent and 7 percent of U.S. school children,  according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It's  more common in boys than in girls. <br />
The CDC says children with ADHD tend  to have a hard time paying attention, to be forgetful, fidget and be easily  distracted, to the point that it creates problems at school, home and with their  friends. <br />
For their study - which Barbaresi started while at the Mayo  Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota - the researchers followed 5,718 children who  were born in that area between 1976 and 1982. Of those, 387 were diagnosed with  ADHD as children and gave the researchers access to their medical records.  <br />
Barbaresi and his colleagues then invited the participants to be  re-evaluated when they were 29. Overall, 232 of the childhood ADHD patients  agreed to take part, and the researchers found that 68 still had the disorder -  around 29 percent. <br />
But even those whose ADHD diagnosis did not persist  into adulthood were still more likely to suffer from at least one psychiatric  condition other than ADHD, with at least 57 percent suffering with such things  as alcohol or substance abuse, anxiety or depression. <br />
That compared to  35 percent of the people in a comparison group who did not have ADHD while  growing up. <br />
People diagnosed with ADHD were also more likely to commit  suicide. Researchers found that 3 of the 387 participants with childhood ADHD  had committed suicide, compared to just 7 of the 4,946 non-ADHD participants.  <br />
"The finding about suicide is new," said Mary Solanto, director of the  ADHD Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. "It was  suggested in another one of these ... studies, but in this study the sample size  was large enough for it to be significant."<br />
Solanto, who was not  involved in the new research, said that many of the study's other findings had  been seen previously, but that this study was larger and the subjects were drawn  from the general population.<br />
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The study's authors warned that their  findings may not apply to children across the United States because the study  participants were from mostly white, middle-class families in one part of  Minnesota.<br />
"There are a lot of people who have had it (ADHD) that  learned to cope and deal with it," Solanto said. "But in order for that to  happen, it's important to diagnose and treat it as soon as possible."<br />
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<i><b>By Elaine Lies</b></i><br /><i><b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/" target="_blank">Reuters</a></b></i> </div>
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Childhood ADHD may lead to troubles in adulthood

Nearly a third of people diagnosed as children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) still have the condition in adulthood, according to a U.S. study of thousands. The researchers, w…

27 Mar 2013

Tips to Reduce the Side Effects of ADHD Medications

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For many children, ADHD medications curb restlessness, impulsivity, and inattention well enough for them to flourish at home, school, and on the playground. But the drugs can also prompt common side effects, such as low appetite, stomach pain, or sleep problems. In rare and serious cases, they can cause heart problems, such as chest pain, liver problems, or suicidal thoughts.<br />
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“We do deal with both wonderful treatment response, but at the same time, medication-related side effects,” says Murat Pakyurek, an associate clinical professor at the University of California-Davis Medical Center department of psychiatry and the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute’s ADHD program. “The majority of the medication-related side effects are mild and temporary in nature. But there are a few side effects that are more severe and that need to be addressed immediately,” he says.</div>
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Tips for Coping With ADHD Drug Side Effects</h3>
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<li>Decreased appetite: If your child’s appetite wanes after taking ADHD medicine, give the dose after breakfast so that he or she will eat better in the morning. Serve a large dinner in the evening, when the drug is beginning to wear off. Keep plenty of healthy snacks on hand; a balanced diet with nutritious, higher-calorie foods and drinks will help to offset any weight loss from the ADHD drug. If your child’s poor appetite lasts for a long period, ask the doctor about reducing the dose or stopping the drug on weekends or summer breaks to allow appetite to return to normal.</li>
<li>Stomach pain or upset: Don’t give your child  medicine on an empty stomach. “For any GI discomfort, taking the medication with or immediately after food will make a very big difference,” Pakyurek says.</li>
<li>Sleep problems: Set up a regular bedtime routine that includes relaxing activities, such as bathing or reading. If a stimulant type of ADHD medication prevents your child from sleeping well, ask the doctor about taking the drug earlier in the day or switching from a long-acting to a shorter-acting form . Ask, too, about reducing the dose or stopping the drug in the afternoon to help your child sleep at bedtime.</li>
<li>Daytime drowsiness: If the ADHD drug atomoxetine (Strattera) is making your child sleepy during the day, ask about giving the drug at bedtime instead of in the morning. You can also check with the doctor about lowering the dose or dividing the dose and giving it twice a day.   </li>
<li>Rebounding effects: When ADHD drugs wear off in the afternoon or evening, some children have more ADHD symptoms or irritability. To prevent this “rebounding,” ask your child’s doctor about using a longer-lasting medication or taking a small dose of fast-acting stimulant later in the day.  </li>
<li>Mood changes: Keep an eye out for changes in your child’s mood. If you see changes, such as lessened emotional expression or suicidal thinking, alert your child’s doctor right away.   </li>
<li>Heart problems: Since there have been rare reports of serious heart problems in patients taking ADHD drugs, tell your child’s doctor about any heart problems in the family. “If there’s any history of significant heart problems, the physician may closely monitor, particularly if they’re using stimulants. Or they may even decide to get an EKG to make sure that the child does not have any cardiac problem,” Pakyurek says.</li>
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Regular exams: While your child is on ADHD drugs, he or she will need regular visits with the doctor who prescribes the drugs, in part to watch for side effects. The doctor will monitor vital signs, such as blood pressure and pulse, as well as height and weight. If there’s a change in your child’s growth trajectory, treatment may need adjusting so that your child can catch up, says Ben Vitiello, a psychiatrist and chief of the Child and Adolescent Treatment and Preventive Intervention Research Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health. Ask the doctor, too, if your child needs tests, such as an EKG or periodic blood tests to check liver enzymes.<br />
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Tips to Reduce the Side Effects of ADHD Medications

For many children, ADHD medications curb restlessness, impulsivity, and inattention well enough for them to flourish at home, school, and on the playground. But the drugs can also prompt common side …

27 Mar 2013